And on the opposite side, one person who emphatically endorses the
government's decision is internist, Dr. Fernando Cuellar. Dr. Cuellar
is recovering from COVID 19, which he caught after over a year of
working on the frontlines. He said he's tired of the millions of
excuses residents have, and his medical colleagues are tired of
watching people die. And it is this fatigue that has them on GOB's side
this time.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar - Internist
"From a doctor's perspective and now from a patience's perspective I do
think I have the authority to say something about what was said this
morning by the minister of health and I categorically support what said
this morning that we should have stricter regulations for people to
become vaccinated. I can't understand for the Christ of me now and I
could say it after months of talking and talking and explaining why
people cannot accept that the vaccination is a tool in the tool box
that will help us get out of this COVID pandemic that we have. Mind
you, it's not the only thing that will save we, we need to do the
public service method, the basic things, wear your mask properly, wash
your hand and physical distance and please lord, they tell you put on
your mask properly, you say thank you sir I forget it was down, no need
to go on like the argue and quarrel and the fuss and this and that, we
are loving Belizeans and we will all work together to make we come out
of this thing."
Courtney Menzies
"While your in agreement with the regulation, are you in agreement with
how it's being rolled out in the sense that there are a lot of people
who don't want the vaccine but there are a lot of people who can't get
the vaccine, there's this issue of people don't have IDs, they don't
have a way to get to the clinic, different obstacles. Are you in
agreement with the way it's being rolled out full fledge without having
a trial period first?"
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"I will grant you that there are a few people who cannot take this
vaccine because of underlying medical reasons but those are very
minimum, this thing about nonsense of who no got ID or some other
excuse they will have, at this point where I am and especially having
lived through this thing, I will tell you, I stop negotiate, I stop
debate, I just will call it out for what it is, unno stop being simple
and get vaccinated."
And Dr. Cuellar said he thinks the government should even kick it up a
notch, and added that he would support mandatory vaccinations if it
comes to that.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"And I would even think that the government, they need to go ahead with
more than just this old building, there is still some strategic
measures that can be put in, especially in Belize City where the
numbers are so high, we are free falling, you see the numbers every
day, we are free falling and the sad news is that we haven't even reach
the bottom of the hole or the top of the mountain. We have weeks more
to go to reach there and I would want the government to say things
truthfully in terms of where we are, don't sugar coat it, don't sound
nice and you hear releases from the ministry of health and releases
from Karl Heusner that we are almost there and we are on the brink of
this and that, no, no, no. My poor colleagues in the health care system
are overworked, are tired, they have been at this for months, the
people that do contact tracing, the public health people, the lab
people and god forbid the people that work in the hopsital dead. The
care of people is being compromised already, you can't a nurse the take
care of 3, 4 patient that are critically ill, that's tired, mistakes
will be made more, so I would beg the ministry of health to be a little
bit more stronger, less sugar coating and say well we okay for now,
that is the attitude you're hearing, we okay for now, we're not okay.
We are up s creek and we don't have no paddle okay, so come on
Belizeans we have to work through this together and I done tired of
talking and debate and sound intelligent and professional. This is
real."
"In that same tab would you eventually advocate for if the numbers keep
not climbing as fast as they should, would you eventually advocate for
mandatory vaccines?"
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"Yes I would, I have talked about this in stages, this sickness has
allowed me to do a little bit more reading and all the legalities about
it but when it comes to that indeed that if it's mandatory, then it
will be bloody mandatory okay, for sure."
And similar to last year when he sounded the alarm, Dr. Cuellar gave a
grave outlook for the future of Belize if the number of cases keep
rising.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"I will start to tell people, unno go buy unno lee blow up bed at simon
quan so that when you get sick and you need oxygen, you will have no
bed at hospital soon enough, you can throw down right there on the
floor and hopefully you get a lee tank of oxygen, that's how bad it's
going to get if we don't do something stronger and behave ourselves and
act more sensible. All of we like party, who miss jouvert more than me
and all of those thing but come one guys, we're not there yet and the
other thing I would change is that when you get sick and go into
hospital with COVID, make one of your loved ones go along with you, no
make you dead alone, make one of your loved ones see it, the suffering
you go through, the suck oxygen and so maybe people will have better
sense of this thing."
Courtney Menzies
"Just give us an idea of what it's like in the hospital right now?"
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"Well our hospital is small, we have a small unit, we have 2
hospitalized patients, thankfully they are not critically ill, they
are just requiring oxygen, so it's nothing compared to the public
sector where they are working their butts off 25 hours a day, I'm
making a loud cry to my colleagues, my whole healthcare system from
throughout the country, please Belizeans."
Courtney Menzies
"Have you spoken to your other medical colleagues on this
particular topic of the regulation, what are they saying?"
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"We have chats going on and overwhelmingly it's being
supported, it's an official pronouncement I'm making of course
but the BMBA has already seen comments and opinions that's it's
being supported because everybody tired guys, everybody tired,
from PG to Corozal, to everywhere."
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